


Snowpoint in Arguing

by MisterAnimeFan



Series: DP Love: A Collection of Ikarishipping Short Stories [3]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Diamond & Pearl & Platinum | Pokemon Diamond Pearl Platinum Versions
Genre: Children, F/M, IkariShipping, Kissaki City | Snowpoint City (Pokemon), Pocket Monsters: Diamond & Pearl | Pokemon the Series: Diamond & Pearl, Romance, Shinou-chihou | Sinnoh Region (Pokemon), Skiing, Young Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:34:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23850145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MisterAnimeFan/pseuds/MisterAnimeFan
Summary: It had been a long journey through deep snow, but Paul and Dawn finally arrive in Snowpoint City!  They meet up with Dawn's friend Zoey, who has a hard time believing that Dawn now has a boyfriend.  Meanwhile, Paul is eager to challenge Candice to a gym battle, but she'll only allow it under one condition!
Relationships: Hikari | Dawn/Shinji | Paul
Series: DP Love: A Collection of Ikarishipping Short Stories [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1114020
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Of course, it would take a pandemic and a stay-at-home order to get me to finally update this story.
> 
> This past year, I got a new job that required me to move all the way to Japan. Of course, moving to Japan brought its own distractions and I just didn't have the right mindset to work on another chapter.
> 
> But low and behold, suddenly some great ideas came to me, and well...here we are!
> 
> Enjoy!

"We should be coming up to Snowpoint City," Brock said. "Then, you can challenge the gym leader and earn your next badge!"

Brock was hoping for an excited response from Ash, but he heard nothing. He looked and saw both Ash and Pikachu with a sad look on their face looking down at the snow. Brock could see that a gym battle was the last thing on Ash's mind at the moment. "Still thinking about Dawn?" Brock asked, kindly.

"It just confuses me why she would suddenly take off without telling us," moaned Ash. "She didn't leave us a note or call us or anything!"

Pikachu let out a mournful sigh. "It's been so long since we last heard from her," worried Ash.

"Well, the good news is that somebody said she was in Browncliff Town," said Brock. "At least we know she's okay."

"Yeah, but a riot in a movie theater? I hope she wasn't caught up in that."

Brock then thought back to when they first discovered that Dawn was gone. They were staying at a Pokémon Center on the outskirts of Oreburgh City, on their way to Snowpoint City, when Ash discovered that Dawn's room was empty and that she had disappeared. They searched all over the Pokémon Center and checked up and down the route they were on. But Dawn was nowhere to be seen. Since then, they've had no luck finding her.

"You know, before she disappeared, she seemed really depressed about something," mentioned Brock. "You think she would tell us what's happening. Must be something really serious."

Just then, they saw two snowmen in the distance. As they got closer, it revealed two smaller snowmen standing beside them. "Hey, look!" Brock said, cheerfully. "Somebody made some snowmen."

He, Ash, and Pikachu moved in for a closer look. "This is a strange place to build a snowman," said Ash.

"It was probably some kids who were out on a walk passing through," said Brock.

Pikachu jumped down from Ash's shoulder to inspect the smaller snowmen, which happened to look like two Pokémon. "Aww, that's cute," Brock said. "The snowmen are holding hands."

"But why does one of them look so angry?" asked Ash.

"Maybe things aren't working out?" joked Brock. "It happens."

Pikachu hopped onto the head of the snowman with the white scarf. "Be careful, Pikachu!" Ash said, worriedly. "Don't break the snowman."

With a curious mind, Pikachu grabbed onto one end and sniffed it. All of a sudden, he started jumping and waving his hands. "What is it, Pikachu?" Brock asked.

Pikachu grabbed the scarf and pointed at it. Ash and Brock weren't sure what was going on. "Is there something wrong with the scarf?" asked Ash.

Pikachu then handed Ash one end of the scarf. Ash examined the scarf carefully, but he still didn't know what was going on. "I don't get it, Pikachu. It's just a scarf."

Ash then looked down at the smaller snowman that was right beside the bigger snowman. He took a closer look and saw that it looked a lot like a Piplup. It then finally hit him. "Wait a second...I got it!" he cried out. "This is Dawn's scarf!"

"Huh?" Brock asked.

"This white scarf!" repeated Ash. "Dawn always wore a white scarf wherever she went."

But Brock wasn't convinced. "Are you sure that's hers?" he asked. "That could be anyone's scarf."

"It has to be hers!" said Ash. "Look! There's a snow Piplup right next to the snowman that had this scarf around its neck. It has to be her!"

Pikachu nodded his head in agreement. Brock could see the logic behind Ash and Pikachu's thinking, but he still had his doubts. "Well, if people saw her in Browncliff Town, it would make sense that she would pass by here," he said. "But then, if this is a Dawn snowman, then who's the other one supposed to be?"

"It doesn't matter," replied Ash. "We're right on her trail now! If we hurry, we might catch up to her!"

"Hold on, Ash," said Brock. "Let's slow down for a minute."

Ash, ignoring Brock's suggestion, turned to his Pikachu. "Come on, let's hurry and catch up to her!" he said, determinedly.

Without hesitation, Ash and Pikachu quickly took off down the road, leaving Brock behind. "Whoa! Ash! Wait for me!" he said.

Reluctantly, Brock quickly ran after them.

* * *

" _Achoo_!" sneezed Dawn. Her body then shivered. "It feels like we've been walking for ages," she complained. She rubbed her hands together, trying to stay warm.

"We shouldn't be far now," replied Paul.

"You said that yesterday too! I feel like we'll never get there."

Paul and Dawn had to spend the night sleeping in a tent outside with the snow blowing around them. While Paul managed to sleep just fine despite the weather, Dawn felt that she would be frozen solid by morning. She was more than ready to arrive at a town with a Pokémon Center and sleep in a warm, comfortable bed.

After trudging through the snow since the early morning, the two then saw something off in the distance. They could make out a town at the bottom of a mountain, with large red-roofed buildings lightly covered in snowdrifts. "Is that Snowpoint City?" Dawn asked.

"I think so," answered Paul. "The guide said it was at the bottom of a mountain and it looks like it does in the pictures."

"At last!" cried Dawn. "We finally made it!"

Dawn then hugged Paul. "Finally, I can have a warm bed and take a hot bath," Dawn said, relieved.

"Let's hurry and find the Pokémon Center," Paul said.

"Alright! Let's go!" she said, excitedly.

She then took off towards the town, leaving Paul behind. Reluctantly, he quickly chased after her. "Hold on, Dawn!" he said. "You don't even know where you're going!"

* * *

Paul and Dawn searched the city and quickly found the Pokémon Center in the center of town. The moment they walked in, Dawn sat down in a seat underneath a vent. "Ahh, it feels so good to be in heat for a change," Dawn sighed, as she felt the warmth coming from the heater.

Paul then took note of the small cafe in the corner of the lobby. "Hey Dawn, I'm going to get a hot chocolate. You want one?" he asked.

"Oh, yes please!" Dawn replied, happily. "With whipped cream!"

Paul walked over to the cafe, leaving Dawn by herself. Dawn placed her head back in her seat and closed her eyes, enjoying the heat for as long as she could before they would eventually go back out into the cold.

While she was resting, she thought about her friends, Ash and Brock. " _I wonder what they're doing right now,_ " she thought. " _It's been about a week since I left them behind. I'm surprised they haven't tried to contact me...or my mom. Or maybe they did?_ "

Dawn then felt a bit uneasy. " _Maybe I should call them or let them know what was happening,_ " she thought. " _But…why does thinking about it make me feel sick?_ "

"Dawn, is that you?" said a voice.

Dawn's thoughts were interrupted when she heard a familiar voice calling her name. She turned around and was surprised to see her friend Zoey standing before her. "Oh hey, Zoey!" Dawn said. She then got up from her seat.

"Hey Dawn! It's been a while since I last saw you!" Zoey said. "How have you been?"

"I've been better!" replied Dawn. "We've been walking through the snow for several days. My face still feels cold."

Zoey laughed. "Yeah, it's pretty chilly outside," she said. "But then again, what do you expect from a town called Snowpoint City?"

"Well anyway, I didn't expect to see you here," said Dawn.

"Why not?" asked Zoey. "This is my hometown, after all."

"You live here?!" Dawn asked, surprised.

"Oh yeah...I guess I never told you."

Just then, the two were interrupted by Paul, who had a cup of hot chocolate in his hands. "Here, Dawn!" he said. "I got you some hot chocolate."

"Oh, thanks!" Dawn said, taking the cup from Paul. She was quick to take a sip.

Paul then noticed Zoey. "Oh! Hi," he said, rather awkwardly.

"Hi," replied Zoey.

"Who is this?" Paul asked Dawn. "Is she a coordinator friend of yours?"

"Oh right! You haven't met yet!" said Dawn. "Paul, this is my friend, Zoey! She's a coordinator like me."

Paul bowed down to Zoey. "It's nice to meet you," he said.

"Zoey, this is Paul," continued Dawn. "Paul is my…"

Dawn's voice trailed when the realization that she is introducing Paul as her boyfriend to someone who has never met him before. She immediately became self-conscious. "Uh...okay, so Paul is...a-a friend...that I've known for a while," she said, stuttering.

Paul raised his eyebrow. "A friend? That's it?" he asked, somewhat offended.

"Ahh! Well…" Dawn said, stammering. "Okay, he's more than that."

Dawn continued tripping over her words as her face turned red. "You know...Paul is...he's actually my...he's a good friend. Okay, more than a good friend. We didn't use to be friends, but then we were friends…"

Paul shook his head annoyed. "Dawn, what are you doing?" he asked. "Just tell her!"

"Tell me what?" asked Zoey.

"Hold on, Paul!" snapped Dawn. "I'm just trying to find the right words."

Paul quickly turned to Zoey. "I'm Dawn's boyfriend," he said.

Dawn gave out a small " _eep_."

For a moment, things were quiet between the three of them. Dawn waited anxiously for Zoey to say something about this new revelation about their relationship.

Zoey began laughing nervously. "Haha...sorry," she said, laughing. "I didn't mean to laugh. It's just...I thought I heard him say that you had a boyfriend."

"Yeah, you did," said Paul. "I am Dawn's boyfriend."

It took another moment for Zoey to process what she was being told. Dawn was dreading what Zoey would say.

Zoey jerked back in surprise. "W-What?! B-Boyfriend?" she asked, shocked. "Dawn, you have a boyfriend!"

"Yes, that's what I just told you," Paul said.

Zoey looked to Dawn. "Dawn, he's really your boyfriend?!" she asked.

"Do you have a hearing problem?" Paul asked, annoyed.

Dawn gulped as her friend's reaction was about what she expected. "Uhh...Y-Yeah," Dawn stammered, "Paul is…he is...my boyfriend."

Zoey took a few steps back, still unable to believe what she heard. "Oh man...Dawn actually has a boyfriend," Zoey said to herself.

"Dawn, does your friend have a hearing problem or is she just dumb?" asked Paul.

"Quiet, Paul!" replied Dawn. "This is the first time I'm introducing you to one of my friends. Of course, she would be a little surprised."

"You know, my mom wasn't this bad when I told her."

Finally, Zoey recomposed herself. "Sorry, I kinda freaked out a bit," she said. "It's just, I've known Dawn for a while now. And then she suddenly springs this kind of thing on me."

"It's not that surprising," Paul said.

"I just never thought Dawn would ever get a boyfriend," added Zoey.

Dawn's embarrassment faded away and was replaced by anger. "Hey, what do you mean by that?" she asked.

"Uh! Wait! What I mean is...I didn't think you'd get a boyfriend _so soon_!" Zoey said, trying to recover. "Especially someone like him."

Now it was Paul's turn to be offended. "And what do you mean _someone like me_?" he asked.

"Uh, actually, hold on!" Zoey said, frantically. "I didn't mean anything by that! It's just...when I think of "Dawn's boyfriend," I was thinking of someone else."

"Like who?" asked Paul.

Zoey thought for a moment about who she would envision as Dawn's ideal man. "Hmmm...now that I think about it, I don't actually know what Dawn's taste in men is like," Zoey said.

Zoey then caught a glimpse of a clock nearby. "Oh no, I'm running late!" she said. She looked back at Paul and Dawn. "Well, I love to stay and chat, but I gotta get going!"

She picked up her stuff and quickly made her way out of the Pokémon Center. "It was nice meeting you!" she said, bowing down to Paul. She then left in a hurry.

Paul and Dawn were left by themselves. "Well, that went well," Paul said, sipping his hot chocolate. Dawn sighed as she quickly went after Zoey. "Where are you going?" Paul asked.

"Zoey, wait!" Dawn shouted.

Fortunately, Zoey hadn't gotten too far away and Dawn was able to catch her. Paul wasn't too far behind. "Hold on a second, Zoey!" Dawn said. "Listen, I know that was all so sudden and you weren't ready to hear that kind of thing. Why don't we just sit down for a minute and catch up?"

"I'm sorry Dawn," replied Zoey. "As much as I would love to stay and chat, I really do have to go."

"But where are you going?" Dawn asked.

"I'm going to meet my friend Candice at the Snowpoint Ski Resort. She invited me as a guest and I thought I'd go and hang out with her for a bit. Maybe even practice a little bit of skiing..."

"Wait...did you say Candice?" asked Paul. "As in, Snowpoint City Gym Leader Candice?"

"Yep, that's her!" confirmed Zoey. "She's an old friend of mine. She's also a teacher at the nearby Pokémon Trainer School and they're having a class trip at the ski resort near Lake Acuity. She invited me as a guest."

"Perfect!" Paul said. "I can meet her there and challenge her to a Pokémon battle!"

"Uh...wait, hold on a minute," replied Zoey. "I don't think she's going to want to…"

"How do we get to this ski resort?" interrupted Paul.

"Ah, well...there's a shuttle bus nearby that takes you there," Zoey explained, pointing down the street. "If we hurry, we might be able to catch the next one."

"Then let's hurry," Paul said.

Paul quickly downed his cup of hot chocolate and began walking down the street towards the bus stop. "But," said Zoey, "I don't think she's gonna...want to...battle…"

It was no use. Paul already had his mind set on battling Candice for the Icicle Badge.

* * *

So Paul, Dawn, and Zoey left the Pokémon Center and boarded the shuttle bus from the bus stop nearby the Pokémon Center. They shared the bus with many other skiers and tourists looking to visit the Ski Resort.

As the bus made its way down the slick, asphalt road, Paul just looked out of the window, staring off into the distance, thinking about his next gym battle.

Zoey and Dawn sat next to him. "I sure hope Miss Senior's not mad about me bringing you guys along," worried Zoey.

"I'm sorry, Zoey," Dawn said. "Paul's really been looking forward to getting his next gym badge for the Sinnoh League."

"Yeah, I can tell," Zoey said, "He looks dead-set on having that battle with Miss Senior. He's gonna be disappointed when she tells her she's not interested."

"Why wouldn't she be interested?" Paul asked, breaking out of his trance. "It's a gym leader's duty to accept any and all challenges that come their way!"

"But like I said before, she's on a class trip," mentioned Zoey.

"That's fine," replied Paul. "Maybe her students can learn a thing or two about what it takes to be a true Pokémon trainer."

Zoey couldn't help but laugh awkwardly. "Is he always like this, Dawn?" she asked.

"I don't know, but probably," answered Dawn. "Paul trains his Pokémon nonstop for these battles so that he can prove his own strength to them."

"Oh really?" Zoey asked.

Zoey then thought to herself for a moment. "Kind of reminds me of someone else," she said.

"Who?" asked Paul.

"Y'know, the other guy," said Zoey. "Ash."

Dawn tensed up upon hearing his name. Paul only scoffed at his name. "Yeah right," he said, "as if he and I have anything in common."

Zoey then came to a realization. "Come to think of it, I haven't seen Ash or Brock at all since I met you guys," she said. "Weren't they also traveling with you, Dawn?"

"She left them behind to travel with me," answered Paul.

"I mean...I didn't leave them behind," Dawn said, defensively.

"Yeah, you did," replied Paul. "You told me. You wanted to travel with me, so you ditched those two and left them behind."

"Why are you making it sound like I abandoned them?" asked Dawn.

"I didn't say you did," Paul said, defensively.

"Okay, good! Because I didn't! They know I'm with you!"

"Why would they think otherwise?" Paul asked as he was now becoming more confused.

Dawn then realized how frantic she was becoming. "Uh...I-I-I don't know," she stammered. "S-sorry."

Dawn sat back in her seat, embarrassed by how she was acting. Zoey was surprised by Dawn's erratic behavior. "Sooooo...where are you from, Paul?" Zoey asked, awkwardly trying to change the subject.

"Veilstone City," he replied.

"Ah! I've been to Veilstone City," Zoey said. "Isn't that where the Game Corner is at?"

"That's right," Paul said.

"You been there before?"

"No. Even if I was old enough, I don't see why anyone wastes money there."

"Oh!"

Things were silent for a moment, as Zoey tried to come up with something else to say to Paul. "Well, even so," she said. "There's also the department store...the largest in Sinnoh!"

"I guess," replied Paul.

"I know you been there before!"

"A few times with my mom," Paul said. "We didn't have a whole lot of money growing up. I tried to tell her not to waste it on dumb crap like shopping sprees, but she wouldn't listen."

"Oh," Zoey said, worriedly.

Zoey knew it was better not to ask him any more questions. " _Geez Dawn, you sure know how to pick'em,_ " she thought.

" _Ladies and gentlemen...in just a few moments, we will be arriving at the Snowpoint Ski Resort! Please collect your belongings and watch your step as you disembark!_ "

Dawn looked out the window as the bus was rolling up to the mountain where the ski resort was built on. Her mouth went agape as she saw the large mountains in the background, completely covered in snow. At the bottom was a small district, with a Pokémon Center, shops, and several hotels. "Wow, it's so beautiful!" gasped Dawn.

"You've seen snow before," replied Paul.

"Yeah, but nothing like this," said Dawn. "Look at how huge those mountains are!"

"Just imagine skiing down those slopes at lightning speed," Zoey said. "You ever went skiing before?"

"No, never," answered Dawn.

"How about you, Paul?"

"Nope," Paul said. "Veilstone doesn't have mountains we can ski on. All we had was a dinky little play area downtown where all the kids would play."

"That sounded like fun," said Dawn.

Paul said nothing more.

Soon, the bus stopped and dropped everyone off at the gondola station at the bottom of the mountain. All of the passengers practically hopped off the bus in excitement, ready to hit the slopes.

Zoey, Dawn, and Paul stepped off the bus. Dawn was amazed by the massive size of the snow-covered mountain, as well as the number of people riding down the side of it.

"Here we are!" Zoey said, happily. "This is Mount Acuity, the largest mountain in Snowpoint City."

"Oh wow!" gasped Dawn. "Look at how huge it is!"

"Yeah, big...whatever," replied Paul. "So, where is this gym leader supposed to be?"

" _Talk about a one-track mind,_ " thought Zoey.

Zoey then looked down at her Pokétch to check the time. "Miss Senior told me to meet her here at the gondola station at ten," she said.

The three of them looked everywhere, but they weren't able to find Candice anywhere. "Are you sure she said to meet her here?" Paul asked.

"Yes, I'm sure!" Zoey replied.

"Maybe she's running late?" asked Dawn.

"Miss Senior? Late? Never!" replied Candice.

Just then, they heard a loud voice. "There they are!" shouted a voice.

The three of them then saw a small boy come out from hiding behind a wall of snow. He was holding a snowball in his hands. "Who is this little brat?" Paul asked.

"Come on, everyone! Let's get'em!" the little boy shouted.

The three of them were caught off-guard as dozens of small children appeared alongside the small boy. "What in the world?!" Dawn asked.

Paul, Dawn, and Zoey quickly ducked and put their arms up as the little kids began throwing snowballs at them. The children screamed and yelled as they continued throwing snowballs. "Hey, quit it!" Dawn shouted.

"Knock it off, you little turds!" growled Paul.

Paul got up on his feet and charged at a group of kids hiding behind the wall. The kids screamed as they quickly ran away from Paul. "Alright, now you're all gonna die!" he yelled.

But before Paul could get any closer to them, a young woman wearing a blue sweater jumped out from behind the wall and chucked a large snowball in Paul's face.

The impact was great enough to blind him and make him lose his footing. "Alright guys, we did it!" shouted the young woman.

The kids all cheered their victory. Zoey forgot to be angry once she recognized the young woman. "Miss Senior! I should have known you'd do something like this!" Zoey said.

"Huh?" Dawn asked, confused.

"Sorry, my friend is always trying to find ways to surprise people," explained Zoey.

"Hey, Zo-zo! Glad you could make it!" the young woman said.

"Of course," replied Zoey.

Candice then noticed Dawn and immediately became star-struck. "Oh my goodness! Aren't you Dawn?!" she asked, excitedly.

"Uh, yes?" Dawn asked, nervously. "How did you know?"

"A lot of the gym leaders have been talking about you!" explained Candice.

Candice then turned to the children. "Class, say hi to my friend, Zoey, and her friend Dawn!"

"Hello!" the children said in unison.

"Uh, hi...everyone," Dawn said.

"They're Pokémon Coordinators," continued Candice. "In fact, Dawn is the one who defeated Fantina in a Pokémon Contest in Hearthome City!"

The children gasped in amazement. "Uh, actually...it was a...draw," Dawn replied, sheepishly.

Nevertheless, the children quickly crowded around Dawn. They were so excited that some of the kids trampled over Paul as he was trying to get back up. The kids swarmed around Dawn, trying to ask her all kinds of questions or to get her to show her Pokémon.

"How didya do it?"

"Were you scared to face Fantina?"

"What kind of Poffins do you feed your Pokémon?"

"Can I have your Prinplup?!"

Dawn tried backing away, but they wouldn't let her. "Alright, just settle down now," she said, meekly. The kids wouldn't let up, even when Zoey tried to help.

Finally, Paul had enough. He quickly shot back up (knocking over a few kids in the vicinity) and shook the snow off his body. "Alright, that's enough, you little snot-nosed twerps!" he barked. "Settle down and shut up!"

His voice was loud enough to scare the kids quiet. "Whoa! Take it easy, Paul," said Zoey, worriedly. "They're just kids after all."

"And who are you?" asked Candice, excitedly. "Are you a coordinator too?!"

"What? No," replied Paul. "My name is Paul. I'm a Pokémon Trainer. And I'll have you know, I also defeated Fantina...in a gym battle!"

"Thanks to me," Dawn whispered under her breath.

Candice thought to herself for a moment. "Oh, now I remember!" she said. "Fantina told me about you."

"She...did?" Paul asked.

"Yep!" smiled Candice. "She told me you were rude, bad-tempered, stiff as a board..."

"What?!" Paul asked, angrily.

The kids laughed until Paul growled at them to make them shut up. "Oh relax, I'm only teasing you," said Candice. "Although, you are pretty hot-headed right now."

"You'd be hot-headed too if a bunch of kids threw snowballs at you when you weren't expecting it," replied Paul. "I'd thought as a gym leader you would set a better example for your students."

"Oh come now, it was all in good fun," replied Candice, playfully. "Although, I did get you pretty good in the face. Didn't I?"

Candice then put on a serious face. "I take it you're here to challenge me to a battle," Candice said.

"That's right," replied Paul. "I've come all this way to challenge you to a gym battle!"

"You must be pretty strong if you managed to defeat Fantina."

The kids were starting to get anxious.

"Go, Miss Candice!"

"Kick this guy's butt!"

"Yeah!"

Candice looked Paul right in the eye. "You really want to challenge me to a gym battle?" she asked.

"I didn't come here for anything else," replied Paul.

Candice smiled as she stared down her opponent. "It figures that the one time I actually get a challenger, I'm busy," she said.

"Don't worry, I'll make it quick," boasted Paul.

"Come on Miss Candice, you can beat this guy!" cheered a student.

Candice then thought to herself for a moment. She smiled when she came up with an idea.

Candice suddenly turned away from Paul and faced the kids. "Well, we'll have to do that later," she said. "Alright class, who's ready to have some fun in the snow?"

"Yay!" the class cheered.

"Hey! You're just blowing me off like that!" snapped Paul.

Candice ignored Paul for the moment. "Today, we're going to learn how to ski," Candice said.  
"Hello!?" Paul shouted, annoyed.

"Unfortunately, one of your teachers, Mr. Tyler, caught a cold and couldn't be here with us today," explained Candice.

"Awww…" groaned the children.

"But not to worry! That's why I invited my friend, Zoey! And she also brought her friends, Dawn and Paul! They're going to be your team leaders for this trip!"

The three of them were confused. "Huh?" asked Zoey.

"What?" Dawn asked, confused.

"We are?!" asked Paul.

While the kids were happy about Zoey and Dawn as team leaders, they were less than pleased to hear that Paul would be too. "Miss Candice, we don't want this guy to be a leader!" said a student. "He's mean and bossy!"

"Yeah!" agreed the class.

"Oh yeah?" replied Paul. "You ain't seen nothing yet, you…"

"Ah-ah-ah!" Candice said, interrupting. "Look, I know Paul seems really mean and nasty, but once he calms down, he'll be a great team leader!"

The children still weren't too thrilled. "I promise that Paul will behave himself. And you guys will have a lot of fun together!"

"Are you sure?" asked another student.

"Yeah, are you sure this is a good idea?" asked Paul.

"Of course!" replied Candice. "Because if Paul isn't a good team leader, he won't be allowed to challenge me to a gym battle after the trip is over!"

"What?!" snapped Paul.

"Now come on, class! Let's go get fitted for skis!"

The class followed behind Candice as they walked towards the rental center. They all sang songs as they waddled through the snow. The other three were left behind. "So...we're leaders now?" Dawn asked, confused.

"Was that really why Miss Senior brought me here?" Zoey asked. "She didn't mention anything about that in her message."

Paul only stood there, his eyes wide as he watched the kids following behind Candice. Despite their best efforts to stay in a single-file line, some of the boys were pushing and shoving each other, laughing and horsing around. Dawn noticed the look of horror on Paul's face. "Uh, are you okay?" she asked.

"You mean to tell me...that just to even challenge the gym leader...I have to be nice to these little punks?!" Paul asked, angrily.

"Now, just calm down," said Dawn. "There's no need to worry. How bad can a bunch of kids really be?"

Zoey only rubbed her neck nervously.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	2. Snowpoint in Arguing: Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It had been a long journey through deep snow, but Paul and Dawn finally arrive in Snowpoint City! They meet up with Dawn's friend Zoey, who has a hard time believing that Dawn now has a boyfriend. Meanwhile, Paul is eager to challenge Candice to a gym battle, but she'll only allow it under one condition!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone is doing alright during these very difficult times. A lot of craziness has happened since the last update.
> 
> I've been keeping busy doing online classes and learning some new languages! And now that I've been able to return to Japan after visiting America, I've been even more preoccupied.
> 
> But enough about me! Enjoy the next chapter!

While the children were getting fitted for their skis, Candice stood off in the back of the rental shop, with Paul, Dawn, and Zoey.

"I can't believe you called me out here just to babysit, Miss Senior," groaned Zoey.

"I know, I'm sorry Zo-zo," Candice said, bowing to Zoey apologetically. "But one of the teachers called in sick at the last minute...and as much as the kids like me, there's no way I can take control of a class of twenty students."

Candice turned to Dawn and Paul, the latter of which was especially not happy about having to take care of kids. "But hey! It all worked out!" she said, happily. "You brought two friends along, which means each of us can handle five students at a time! This should make this trip easier!"

"I don't think so," objected Paul. "I came here to challenge you to a gym battle! I didn't come to play patty-cake with a bunch of snot-nosed brats."

"I know this is all sudden for you and Dawn, especially since I barely know you guys," pleaded Candice, "but I really need your help with the students. I'll take care of your rooms, your food, and I'll even treat you to a visit to the hot springs. Just please, help me with the class! Then, we can have a gym battle!"

Paul sighed. "Look, I'm not the right guy for this," replied Paul. "I don't even know the first thing about taking care of kids."

"I don't really know either," agreed Dawn. "I never had to take care of kids before."

"Me three," added Zoey.

"They may seem a bit rambunctious," said Candice. "But as long as you're nice, gentle, and friendly, the kids will do whatever you tell them to do."

* * *

After the young students were fitted for skis, they split up into four different groups. One group went with Gym Leader Candice, another group with Zoey, another with Dawn, and the remaining students left with Paul. They all formed a single-file line behind their group leaders. As they waddled up to the mountain, the students talked amongst themselves and happily sang songs.

Well, all except for one group.

Between not wanting to make him angry and thinking he was a jerk, the students in Paul's group remained silent, which Paul didn't mind at all.

" _So far, these kids aren_ ' _t too bad,_ " thought Paul, _"Let_ ' _s hope it stays that way._ "

Suddenly, a snowball was thrown at his head. Paul quickly turned around. "Hey! Who threw that?!" he asked, angrily.

The kids all quietly snickered. "Why you little…!" Paul shouted angrily.

"Hey Paul, how are you doing back there?" asked Candice.

Paul was ready to lunge at the kids and grab them by their collars, but the sound of Candice's voice stopped him in his tracks. The kids looked back at them, snickering. "Just fine...Candice…" he growled through his teeth.

"You're supposed to call her Miss Candice," whispered a young girl.

"Shut up," said Paul.

Reluctantly, he turned around and continued leading his group up the hill. " _Three days with these little runts_ ," thought Paul. " _All this solely for a gym battle?!_ "

Paul's thoughts were interrupted when he felt someone tugging at his pants. He looked down and saw a small, brown-haired girl with brown eyes staring up at him. "Hmm? What do you want?" Paul asked.

"Um...my name is Ally," the little girl said, softly. She jerked back a bit, somewhat frightened by Paul's abrasive tone.

"...okay?" replied Paul, confused.

"It's nice to meet you, Mister Paul," added Ally.

"Oh!" Paul said. He was rather surprised that one of the students was acting friendly towards him. "It's nice to meet you too, I guess."

Paul's group continued following the other students down the snowy trail. Paul looked ahead and saw Dawn and Zoey mingling with their students, asking for their names, and allowing them to ask questions about themselves.

Paul sighed. " _Well, if I'm going to be stuck with these kids for the next few days…"_ he thought.

Paul turned around and faced the other students in his group.

"Hey!" Paul said to the other students. "If we're going to be stuck with each other these next few days, we might as well know each other's names."

The students were a bit confused by Paul's sudden sincerity. "So, my name is Paul," he said, reintroducing himself. He then pointed to Ally. "Her name is Ally. What are your names?"

"Uhh…I'm Veronica," said one of the other girls in the group.

"I'm Ryo!" one of the boys said, proudly.

"I'm Sota!"

"My name is Patty!"

There was one other boy who hadn't shared his name. "And what's your name?" Paul asked.

"Um, my last name is Ner," the boy said.

"Ner?" Paul asked, confused. "Okay…what's your first name?"

"Ichiwee," replied the boy.

The other kids laughed. "Your name is Ichiwee N…?" asked Paul.

Paul quickly stopped when he realized what he was about to say. The kids laughed anyway. "You said Itchy Weiner!" laughed the boy.

Paul clenched his fist and gritted his teeth, ready to pound the young child into the snow. But before he lost his temper, he quickly calmed himself down. He reached out and patted the child on the head with an evil smile. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Itchy Weiner!" he said, confidently.

"Actually, my real name is Toh-…" said the boy.

"No, no. You told me your name is Itchy Weiner," interrupted Paul. "That's your name from now on."

"Haha, your name is Itchy Weiner!" laughed Sota.

"Itchy Weiner! Itchy Weiner!" chanted the others.

"Shut up! That's not my name! You guys know that."

Paul continued walking with the other groups. "Let's go, Itchy Weiner!" Paul said. "You better hurry up before you get left behind!"

"That's not my real name!" protested Tohru.

But his words fell on deaf ears, as everyone walked alongside Paul. " _That oughta teach him to be a smartass with me_ ," he thought.

Ally spoke again.

"Mister Paul, do you live in Snowpoint City?" she asked.

"No," answered Paul. "I live in Veilstone City."

"Veilstone City?" asked Ryo. "My dad says that's where all of the bad people live."

Paul merely bit his tongue, trying not to blow up in the children's faces. "It's…not that bad," he replied. "Your dad is probably just joking."

"Veilstone City? Where's that?" asked Sota.

Paul thought about the best way to explain it to his group. "It's on the east side of Sinnoh," he said. "It's close to Solaceon Town and Pastoria City."

"Oh. And where are those places?" asked Veronica.

"Pastoria City is in the south, where the swamplands are. And Solaceon Town is to the west, close to that place that's always foggy."

"...what does west and south mean?" asked Ryo.

"You know what, let's just say it's far away from here," Paul said, realizing explaining any further would only confuse everyone.

"Like really, really far?" asked Ally.

"Yes. Really, _really_ far."

"Really, really, _really_ , **_really_** far away?" asked Veronica.

"Yes, really," replied Paul, sounding more annoyed.

"Really, really, _really…_ "

"Yes, it's really far away!" snapped Paul.

The kids laughed as they tried to get under Paul's skin by asking him more questions, many of which were silly and annoying to him.

* * *

Soon they reached the hill where the students were to begin their first ski lesson. At the bottom of the busy mountainside was a small hill. With it being at a gentle incline, it was perfect for children to practice skiing before moving on to the more serious ski trails.

Candice looked around, but the instructor was nowhere to be seen.

"That's weird," said Candice. "The ski instructor isn't here."

"I guess he's running late?" asked Dawn.

Candice crossed her arms and pouted. "Well, that's just great!" she complained. "Doesn't he know we're only here for a few days?!"

"Maybe we're here early?" suggested Paul.

"I'm sure he'll show up soon," Zoey said.

Just then, one of the students spoke up.

"Hey, Miss Dawn!" shouted a student. "Can you show us your Pokémon?"

"Yeah, show us your Pokémon!"

The students all clamored around Dawn, begging to see her Pokémon. Dawn stepped back, overwhelmed by the children's excitement. "Well…I don't…"

"Hey! That's a great idea!" Candice said. "We should have a Pokémon Show-and-Tell!"

The students cheered at Candice's idea. "Are you sure?" Paul asked, cautiously.

"I don't see why not," continued Candice. "The students can learn a lot about you from what Pokémon you're training. And since these kids are studying to become Pokémon Trainers, what better way to motivate them than to show off some of your strongest Pokémon?"

Zoey nodded her head. "Good thinking, Miss Senior!" she said. "Come on, Dawn! Show these kids your Pokémon!"

The students continued begging for Dawn to show her Pokémon.

Dawn was still uneasy, but she smiled and nodded at Zoey. "Alright, let's do it!" she said, happily.

Dawn then grabbed two Poké Balls. "Alright! Prinplup! Buneary! Spotlight!"

Dawn threw the Poké Balls into the air and her Prinplup and Buneary popped out.

The children gasped as Prinplup and Buneary stood before them. "Everyone, this is my Prinplup and my Buneary," introduced Dawn.

"Hey, that's the Prinplup that beat Fantina's Pokémon in Hearthome City!" mentioned Candice.

"Um, again. It was a tie," replied Dawn.

Dawn's word fell on deaf ears as the children crowded around her Pokémon, especially Prinplup. Buneary was intimidated by being surrounded by the children (who were roughly the same height), while Prinplup crossed her flippers and soaked up all their attention.

"Now let's see your Pokémon, Zo-Zo!" suggested Candice.

"Okay sure," she replied.

Soon, Zoey's Glameow and Mismagius joined alongside Prinplup and Buneary. The children were as equally impressed with Zoey's Pokémon as they were with Dawn's.

Paul stood off to the side, watching his group be amazed by Dawn and Zoey's Pokémon. "How about you, Paul?" asked Candice. "Let's see some of your Pokémon!"

"No, I don't think that's a good idea," replied Paul, bluntly.

"Paul...I think showing the kids your Pokémon would be a good thing," insisted Candice.

"Trust me, it's for the best," replied Paul. "I doubt my Pokémon are able to tolerate little kids any better than I can."

"Oh, come on, Paul!" pleaded Candice. "They can't be that bad."

"Forget it, Miss Candice," said one of the students. "Mr. Paul's a jerk."

"I bet he doesn't have any cool Pokémon like Miss Dawn or Miss Zoey," said another student. "That's why he doesn't want to show us."

Paul felt a bit hurt by the children's comments, but he did his best not to show it. "It's for your own good," he growled quietly. "My Pokémon are strong, maybe too strong for you!"

"Then, let's see them!" shouted a kid.

"Yeah!" said another.

Paul was very worried about how his team would react to being swarmed by little kids. He was also worried they may start another brawl with Dawn's Pokémon (a fear Dawn shared as well).

Finally, the children's remarks were too much for Paul, as he reached into his pockets and took out a Poké Ball. "Alright! If you little jerks _really_ want to see my Pokémon," he boasted. "But don't say I didn't warn you!"

He was about to throw the Poké Ball into the air but suddenly stopped himself. He looked at the kids. "You guys might want to back up a little bit," he warned.

The kids complied, although some rolled their eyes. "Torterra, stand by!" Paul called out.

The Poké Ball opened and Torterra appeared in front of everyone. The children all gasped. At seven feet tall, Torterra towered above everyone, especially the young children. Some jumped back in fear of the imposing Pokémon.

Upon having his feet touch the snow, Torterra let out a loud sneeze (frightening some of the kids) and shivered.

"Whoa! He's huge!" gasped one of the students.

"He's not the only one either," bragged Paul. "My other Pokémon are just as big and strong! But he's the only one that won't bite or attack you!"

"Paul, don't scare them!" scolded Dawn.

"Got to admit, Torterra's pretty impressive," said Zoey.

"Please Paul, tell the students about your Pokémon!" said Candice.

"Oh! Uh…okay," he replied.

Paul stood next to Torterra. "This is my Torterra," he said to the students. "He's one of the strongest Pokémon in my team."

The students all gasped. "How long have you had Torterra?" asked Candice.

"A very long time," Paul replied, "I've had him ever since he was a Turtwig."

"Ah! Turtwigs are usually very small," added Candice.

She used her hands to demonstrate how small a Turtwig can be. The students had a hard time believing that a small Pokémon could evolve into something so massive.

"Was he your first Pokémon?" Zoey asked.

"Y-yeah," Paul replied, somewhat embarrassed. He began to reminiscence about all the places they've been to and all the battles they've won. "We've been through a lot together. We've gone to many places, competed in many tournaments, and had a lot of adventures. And when my other Pokémon act up or misbehave, he's quick to set them straight!"

Paul put his hand on Torterra's head. "If there's any Pokémon on my team I put all of my trust in, it's him."

Flattered by Paul's kind words, Torterra rubbed his head against Paul's body. "Wait, Torterra! Stop that!" scolded Paul.

"Don't worry, Paul," replied Zoey. "He's only showing his affection."

The children inched closer to Torterra. Torterra closed his eyes and let the students pat him on the head (well, more like his face). Eventually, they warmed up to him. "You sure this is a good idea?" asked Dawn.

"Well, so far he's behaving himself," said Paul. "I think he'll be fine."

"What? You're worried he's going to freak out or something?" asked Zoey.

"Let's just say my Pokémon don't really get along with kids all that well," replied Paul. "Or with most people."

"Why am I not surprised?" asked Zoey.

"Hey! Look at me!" shouted a shrill voice. "I'm king of the jungle!"

Everyone turned towards Torterra…and were horrified to see that some of the boys had climbed onto Torterra's back and started swinging from the trees. "Hey, get down from there!" snapped Paul.

"Paul's right!" shouted one of the girls. "Stop or you're gonna fall!"

Despite the protests from everyone, the boys continued monkeying around on Torterra's back. Torterra tried to gently (later violently) shake them off, but the boys held on. They laughed as they continued climbing and jumping all around the trees on Torterra's back.

"Oh no, this is really bad," worried Dawn. "We need to get those kids off before Torterra gets angry!"

But it was too late. Fed up with the boys' horseplay, Torterra growled and he lifted his front legs up. He then slammed them hard into the ground (causing it to shake) and let out a ferocious roar so loud, everyone had to cover their ears. The roar could be heard all around the ski resort and even throughout the city.

* * *

Far out into the outskirts of the city, Ash and Pikachu were sitting on the ground, panting heavily. They had been running for quite some distance, trying to reach Snowpoint City by sundown. They had run so fast, they left Brock far behind!

Suddenly, Pikachu's ears perked up when he heard a faint roar echoing from far away. He looked towards a large mountain far off in the distance. Ash looked towards the same mountain as well. "Did you hear that too, Pikachu?" he asked.

* * *

Everything was quiet. The only sound that could be heard was the whispered howling of the wind. All of the skiers on the slopes stopped to look at the commotion.

All of the students (as well as Dawn and Zoey's Pokémon) were shaking in their boots, some even hugging each other for comfort, as they were all now deadly terrified of Torterra's rage. Even Zoey was afraid of Torterra.

"Wow…P-Paul wasn't kidding," whimpered Zoey. "Torterra really _**is**_ strong!"

"I was afraid something like that would happen," replied Dawn.

"You three! Get off Torterra **now**!" scolded Candice.

The young boys wasted no time climbing down from Torterra's back. Once they did, Torterra turned towards them and roared, scaring them even further. "What the heck were you thinking?!" scolded Candice. "You could have been seriously hurt! And now you made Torterra angry!"

"Sorry Miss Candice," cried the three boys simultaneously.

"Apologize to Torterra too!" added Candice.

"Sorry, Torterra!"

Torterra only snorted in their faces. Paul quickly walked up to Torterra and patted him on the head, hoping to calm him down. "Th-That oughta teach you to be respectful to Pokémon!" Paul said, sternly. "Not just my Pokémon, but all Pokémon! Pokémon don't like being treated like a playground for you to jump on!"

Torterra growled as Paul continued lecturing the other students. "Now…if any of you pull something like that again, Torterra will roar so loud, it'll bring this entire mountain down on everyone!" threatened Paul. Torterra snorting at the children only confirmed this threat.

"Understand?" Paul asked.

The kids frantically nodded their heads.

"Uh….is now a bad time?" asked a voice.

Everyone turned and saw a man dressed in sports gear, quite literally shaking in his snow boots. "Are you the ski instructor?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah, that's me," whimpered the ski instructor. "But…maybe it's best if I came back later?"

"No, no! Everything is fine!" Candice said, frantically. "We've been waiting for you!"

The ski instructor turned his attention towards the students. "Sorry I'm late, everyone," he said, "let's get started on today's lesson! Just follow me."

The students did as they were told and followed the ski instructor to the training site.

"Great, even Paul's Pokémon are jerks!" complained one of the boys.

"You were dancing on his back, stupid!" snapped one of the girls.

With the students out of hearing range, Paul walked up to Candice and bowed. "Miss Candice," said Paul, "I'm…I'm really sorry about Torterra."

"It's not your fault," interrupted Candice. "Those boys were in my group. I'm sorry that the students did that to you and your Pokémon. Don't worry! Torterra's little outburst won't cost you a gym battle against me."

"Thank you. I'm glad to hear that."

Paul then let out a sigh. Sensing his frustration, Candice kindly patted him on the shoulder. "You're gonna do fine," she said, sweetly.

"I don't know," said Paul. "I can't even go two hours with them, let alone a few days."

"For what it's worth," said Candice. "I put most of the troublemakers in my group. The kids in your group are usually pretty well-mannered."

"Yeah, they seem okay so far," said Paul.

"Just relax, be patient, and be respectful," advised Candice.

"Okay," sighed Paul. "But I'm still keeping my eye on that Itchy Weiner kid."

Paul then walked over to where the class was, leaving Candice confused. "Itchy Who-now?" she asked.

Zoey and Dawn stood off to the side, having their own conversation. "Well, I can see why you guys were worried," said Zoey.

"Yeah…" Dawn said, defeated. "The rest of Paul's Pokémon are like that too: big, powerful, and very brutish. They don't really get along with others."

Dawn realized what she was saying and quickly turned to Zoey. "That doesn't say anything about Paul though!" she said, frantically. "It's not like he's a mean trainer or anything! I mean…his Pokémon are pretty rude…and he kinda is, but he's a good guy!"

Zoey only laughed. "You sure have a…unique taste in guys," laughed Zoey.

"Zoey, please," groaned Dawn. "I'm telling you the truth, Paul really is a good guy."

"Well…I do like that he turned it all around and made it into a lesson about respecting a Pokémon's boundaries," said Zoey. "Some of the kids were being a little too grabby with Glameow."

"Yeah, some of those boys were tugging on Buneary's fur and she didn't like that," added Dawn. "Good thing Torterra set them right."

"Who knows? Maybe the kids will respect Paul and not give him too much of a hard time."

"Let's hope so," said Dawn. "I don't want him to miss out on another gym battle just because he was being a jerk."

"Huh?" Zoey asked, surprised. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh! Uhh…nothing," replied Dawn. "Just thinking out loud."

But Zoey was still suspicious. " _What are you trying to hide from me, Dawn?_ " she thought to herself.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: A bit of a shorter chapter this time. As much as I love writing very long chapters to make up for however long I've been gone, with how busy my life is right now and with other hobbies I like to pursue, I think from this point I'm going to try and keep this fanfiction updated with short, bite-sized chapters. Hopefully, I can update my stories a bit more frequently by doing this.
> 
> NEXT TIME: The skiing lesson begins! The class starts out by practicing on the small bunny hill, perfect for young children beginning to learn how to ski. Surely, Paul will have an easy time with his students during the lesson.
> 
> Right?

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully, you guys enjoyed the beginning of the next Ikarishipping story! Already, there's a lot going on and more that's going to happen. Originally, it was going to be a simple story about Paul and Dawn going on a skiing trip.
> 
> Then I rewatched a few episodes of the anime and remembered that Candice was a teacher. So I decided to bring kids in because the idea of Paul having to babysit kids sounded hilarious to me.
> 
> NEXT TIME: So, the challenge is set for Paul! "Be good to the kids, otherwise you don't get a gym battle!" Naturally, the kids aren't going to make it easy for him. But one child, in particular, catches Paul's interest. Perhaps she reminds Paul a little of himself when he was younger?
> 
> And what's going to happen if and when Ash catches up to the group? Hopefully, Dawn is able to explain herself and tell him and Brock the truth about her and Paul!


End file.
